Political Work

127 Days After Jin Chenglong's Death, His Parents Board the PLA Navy Ship Dingzhou

在金城龙牺牲后的第127天，他的父母登上海军定州舰

PLA Daily (解放军报) 17 June 2026

Summary

On May 29, 127 days after his death, the parents of Jin Chenglong—a former PLA Navy sailor who died rescuing drowning victims on January 23, 2026—boarded the guided-missile destroyer Dingzhou at an unspecified naval port, fulfilling a promise their son had made to bring them aboard after leaving service in 2022. The visit was organized by the Dingzhou's crew and framed around Jin's posthumous honors, which include the China Youth May Fourth Medal and designation as a National On-the-Job Lei Feng Exemplar. This is institutional martyr-commemoration content; it documents how the PLA Navy uses a decorated former servicemember's death to reinforce unit cohesion and the Lei Feng model of selfless sacrifice, with the ship's crew explicitly pledging to 'train hard in the skills of defeating the enemy'—embedding a combat-readiness message inside a grief narrative directed at a civilian audience.

Translation

At the summer naval port pier, the Dingzhou lay quietly at rest, as if waiting for a long-absent family member. On May 29, 127 days after Jin Chenglong's death, his father Jin Hai and mother Ning Xiaoguang boarded the ship their son had called his "home" countless times after leaving service.

Jin Chenglong was born in June 2000 in Fushun, Liaoning. In September 2020 he enlisted from Shenyang and was assigned to the PLA Navy ship Dingzhou. He left service and returned to school in 2022. On January 23, 2026, while attempting to rescue people who had fallen into the water, he fell into an icy river and died heroically, at only 26 years of age. After his death, Jin Chenglong was posthumously awarded the title "Liaoning Model of the Era," the China Youth May Fourth Medal, posthumously admitted as a member of the Chinese Communist Party, and named an individual honoree in the 11th batch of National On-the-Job Lei Feng Exemplars.

"The Dingzhou is my home forever. I will definitely bring my mom and dad back to see it." After Jin Chenglong's death, the officers and sailors of the Dingzhou were deeply grieved and often recalled these words he had spoken when he left service. Not long ago, they decided to honor Jin Chenglong's dying wish and invite his father and mother aboard for a visit.

"When we received the invitation from the officers and sailors, his mother and I were both very moved. Coming 'home' to see the ship is both a wish Chenglong never got to fulfill and our own greatest hope." Despite the heat, Jin Hai insisted on wearing Jin Chenglong's physical training uniform. He said that this way he could bring his child "home" with him.

Stepping onto the Dingzhou and walking the decks Jin Chenglong had walked countless times, looking at the soldiers whose ages were so close to their son's, Ning Xiaoguang choked up repeatedly: "When I see you, it's like seeing Chenglong."

"Back when we were at sea, there was nowhere to run, so Chenglong would get up at four or five in the morning every day and run back and forth right here—he'd run for a full hour…" Walking inside the ship, Jin Chenglong's fellow enlistee Sun Zhiyuan pointed to the corridor and described this to the couple.

"He was always the first one up to prepare breakfast; the 'Fushun spicy mixed noodles' he made were more fragrant than anything from a restaurant." "On watch during heavy winds and waves, he got seasick worse than anyone but never once delayed a meal being served on time." "His notebook was packed with dense notes on his comrades' food preferences." "Chenglong wasn't just a good cook—he also took the initiative to use his knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine to help comrades with their injuries." In the ship's recreation room, officers and sailors gathered around the couple, each adding their own memories of Jin Chenglong's days aboard the ship. Many were in tears before they had finished speaking.

"Chenglong, you once said that your comrades on the ship were all your brothers, and that this ship was your home. Today your dad and I have come 'home' for you!" Coming to the berthing area and seeing the bunk where Jin Chenglong had slept for two years, Ning Xiaoguang threw herself down onto it, tears streaming.

In front of a pencil portrait at the ship's "Heroes and Models Memorial Corner," the couple stopped. In the portrait, Jin Chenglong wears his combat training uniform, his gaze clear, a smile on his face. Beside it are the words from his diary: "No fame, no gain, no regrets; with feeling, with loyalty, with the motherland." Below the portrait, messages from officers and sailors are posted densely: "In a moment of danger you stepped forward and gave yourself for others—we take you as our model and will be loyal guardians of the Party and the people." "You and I never met, yet your spirit guides me in how to be a qualified soldier."

"This pencil portrait was drawn with the whole heart of every officer and sailor on the ship. We wanted to use this way to keep Chenglong on the ship forever." Pan Quanquan, the head of the galley crew, who had shared a bunk above or below Jin Chenglong, pointed at the portrait as tears fell like broken beads from a string.

"He is the pride of our Dingzhou!" The ship's leadership gripped Jin Hai's slightly trembling hand and said through tears.

At that moment, Ning Xiaoguang, no longer able to control her emotions, covered her face and wept again. After a long while she raised her head and said, haltingly: "His father and I came to the unit this time because we wanted to know what kind of soldier our son really was… Today we know. He was a good soldier. You are all good soldiers…"

The time came to leave the ship, and the officers and sailors fell into formation once more. There was no applause—only the sound of waves striking the hull.

"Please, Mom and Dad, rest assured! We will certainly take Chenglong as our model, train hard in the skills of defeating the enemy, and guard the motherland's ten-thousand-li maritime frontier!" As they said their farewells, the entire ship's complement shouted in unison, their voices resounding across the sea and sky.

Original Chinese

夏日的军港码头，定州舰伏波静卧，像在等待久别的家人。5月29日，在金城龙牺牲后的第127天，他的父亲金海、母亲宁晓光登上了这艘儿子退役后念叨了无数遍的“家”。金城龙，2000年6月出生在辽宁抚顺，2020年9月从沈阳市入伍来到海军定州舰，2022年退役复学。2026年1月23日，为营救落水群众，他不幸坠入冰河英勇牺牲，年仅26岁。金城龙牺牲后，被追授“辽宁时代楷模”称号、中国青年五四奖章，被追认为中国共产党党员，获评第11批全国岗位学雷锋标兵个人。 “定州舰是我永远的家，我一定要带爸爸妈妈回来看看。”金城龙牺牲后，定州舰官兵十分悲痛，时常想起他退役时说的这句话，前不久，他们决定按照金城龙的遗愿，邀请金爸爸、金妈妈登舰参观。 “收到官兵们的邀请，我和他妈妈都非常激动，‘回家’看看既是城龙未尽的心愿，也是我们的最大愿望。”尽管天气炎热，金海仍坚持穿上金城龙的体能训练服。他说，这样就能带孩子一起“回家”了。踏上定州舰，走上金城龙曾经走过无数次的甲板，望着一个个与儿子年龄相仿的战士，宁晓光几度哽咽：“看到你们，就像看到了城龙。” “以前我们出海，没地方跑步，城龙每天凌晨四五点钟起床，就在这里来回跑，一跑就是一个小时……”走进舰内，金城龙同年兵孙志远指着走廊，向夫妻俩介绍道。 “他常常第一个起床准备早餐，他做的‘抚顺麻辣拌’比饭馆做得还要香”“执勤遇上大风大浪，他晕船最厉害却从不耽误正点开饭”“他的笔记上密密麻麻记着战友的口味偏好”“城龙不仅饭做得好，还主动用中医知识帮战友疗伤”……在舰活动室，官兵们围坐在夫妻俩身边，你一言我一语回忆着金城龙在舰上的点点滴滴。不少人说着说着就泪流满面。 “城龙，你曾经说过，舰上的战友都是你的兄弟，这个舰就是你的家。今天我和你爸替你‘回家’了！”来到宿舍，看到金城龙曾睡了两年的床铺，宁晓光一下趴了上去，热泪长流。在舰“英模纪念角”一幅素描画像前，夫妻俩停下了脚步。画像里的金城龙身着作训服，眼神清澈，面带微笑。一侧，是他日记里的那句话：“无名无利无悔，有情有义有祖国。”画像下面，贴满官兵们的留言条：“危难时刻你挺身而出，舍己为人，我们以你为榜样，做党和人民的忠诚卫士”“你我素未谋面，你的精神却指引着我怎样做一名合格军人”…… “这幅素描，是全舰官兵用心画出来的，我们想用这样的方式把城龙永远留在舰上。”炊事班班长潘泉泉和金城龙上下铺，指着画像，眼泪像断了线的珠子。 “他是我们定州舰的骄傲！”舰领导握着金海有些颤抖的手，哽咽着说道。此时此刻，再也控制不住自己情绪的宁晓光，捂着脸又哭了起来。许久，她抬起头，断断续续地说道：“我和他爸这次来部队，就是想知道我儿子到底是个怎样的兵……今天我们知道了，他是一个好兵，你们都是好兵……” 到离舰时刻了，官兵们再次整齐列队。此刻没有掌声，只有海浪拍打舰舷的声响。 “请爸妈放心！我们一定以城龙为榜样，苦练杀敌本领，守护好祖国的万里海疆！”挥别之际，全舰官兵齐声喊道，这声音响彻海天。